The Casskins Pillow Book, Volume 2
by Jenksel
Summary: More little slices of life featuring my favorite OTP, Cassandra and Jenkins.
1. Surprise!

Flynn Carsen bounded into the workroom, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Eve! I need your help with something!" He stopped and looked around for his Guardian-wife, but the only people he saw in the room were Jacob Stone and Ezekiel Jones, sitting at their desks with their feet propped up. Jones was engrossed in his phone, while Stone had a large Eugène Delacroix folio open and propped against his legs.

"Where's Eve?" Flynn asked, perplexed.

"Beats me, mate," answered Ezekiel with a shrug, his eyes never leaving his phone. "Last time I saw her, she said she was going to the Ancient Greece section for something about Apollo Creed." Stone looked up from his book to stare at the thief in disgust.

"No, Jones, you dumbass!" he growled in irritation. "She said she was going to the _Space Exploration_ section to look up something about _Apollo 13_! Clean the chicken-shit outta your ears!" Ezekiel simply shrugged again.

"Apollo Creed, Apollo 13—it's all the same to me. If it doesn't involve something for me to steal, I couldn't care less." While Jake began to upbraid the Australian, Flynn frowned in consternation as he turned and headed up the spiral staircase to go to the Space Exploration section of the stacks. As soon as the Librarian was out of sight, Jake and Ezekiel exchanged grins and a fistbump.

Flynn quickly located the section he was looking for. As he walked along the main aisle between the huge ranges of books, he soon caught the sound of a feminine voice softly humming a gentle tune. Flynn slowed his steps and approached the humming woman on tiptoe. She was just ahead, only a few ranges away. Flynn grinned as he carefully crept forward to surprise her, his eyes shining in anticipation.

When he reached Eve's location, he took a moment to prepare himself, then rushed forward and around the end of the range.

"Gotcha!" he yelled. He closed his eyes as he grabbed her, then bent her backwards in a dramatic dip, bending low over the surprised woman. He found her lips and kissed her, deeply and passionately. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, then Flynn straightened up again, bringing Eve up with him.

He opened his eyes; they instantly widened in shock as he realized that he was staring at Cassandra Cillian Jenkins, and _not_ Eve Baird.

Cassandra was gaping at him, a look of complete astonishment on her face, her hands in the air and her mouth hanging open. Looming directly behind her was Jenkins, with a look as black as a stormcloud on his face that sent a shudder up Flynn's spine and made the hair on his arms stand on end. Flynn raised his own hands up in surrender and began to slowly back away from the pair.

"Oh-h-h-h my god…_Cassandra_! I am so-o-o-o sorry!" he exhaled. "I…have made…a _huge_ mistake!"

"You think so?!" squawked Jenkins sarcastically, his dark eyes blazing as he tilted his head to one side. He gently squeezed past the still-stunned Cassandra to stand in front of her protectively. "And here I thought I was going to have to explain it to you in detail by breaking your insolent neck!" Jenkins lowered his head and glared directly into Flynn's eyes.

"You know what? I think I'll explain it to you, anyway, just to make sure you understand!" Before Flynn could react, the Caretaker's right hand shot forward and seized the Librarian by his throat, effortlessly lifting the younger man from the floor. As Flynn clawed at Jenkins's hand and arm frantically, the immortal moved out into the aisle with the gasping, mewling Librarian and slammed him none too gently against the hard wooden end of a book range.

"Librarian or not, how _dare_ you touch my wife in such a fashion!" the immortal roared.

"Jenkins, no!" Cassandra shouted, Flynn's flailing limbs and choked gasps finally snapping her out of her stupor. She rushed forward and grabbed her husband's arm and pulled on it hard. "Let him go!"

The angry immortal cast a sideways glance at his frightened wife.

"Let him go!" she ordered him again. Reluctantly, Jenkins lowered Flynn to the floor and released his hold on the Librarian's throat. Carsen immediately stumbled out of Jenkins's reach as he rubbed his throbbing neck, gulping in deep lungfuls of air. Cassandra was torn between staying next to Jenkins and hurrying over to the Flynn.

"Omigod, Flynn, are you all right?" she asked as she stepped cautiously away from her husband and placed herself between the two men. Flynn raised a hand and coughed.

"I'm fine!" he wheezed. "I'm…so sorry! I…thought you were…Eve!" Cassandra looked back at Jenkins, confused.

"Eve?" she repeated, turning back to Flynn. He was breathing more normally now, but he continued to massage his throat and neck.

"Yeah," he replied. "Jones said she was here in the…" A look of dawning understanding blanketed Carsen's face.

"Jones!" he breathed, his expression quickly turning to one of anger. _"Jones!"_

Without another word, he turned around and ran from the Exploration of Space section and disappeared, hollering Jones's name, along with several threats of violence as he pounded down the aisle. Cassandra turned to look at Jenkins. He caught her puzzled expression and smiled grimly.

"It seems that Mr. Jones has played a rather nasty prank on Mr. Carsen," he rumbled. "And a very _dangerous_ one, too, in my opinion." He moved up and put his arms around his wife.

"Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "Did he hurt you in any way?" She shook her head and smiled up at him to reassure him.

"No, I'm okay; I'm just a little freaked out, that's all," she said, snuggling against him. "But at least I learned something today!"

"And what was that, my love?" Jenkins asked. Cassandra giggled and tipped her head back to look knowingly up at him.

"I learned that you're a _much_ better kisser than Flynn is!"


	2. The Stargazers

**A/N: A bit of belated fluff for our favorite couples' 2nd anniversary!**

A tall, athletically-built blonde woman pulled open the heavy glass door and entered the Driscoll County Jail, pausing a moment to stomp her booted feet just inside the door to dislodge the snow, ice and salt from them. As she approached the reception desk, she pushed the hood of her faux fur-trimmed parka back from her head and unzipped the front of the coat.

"Officer," she flatly greeted the man behind the desk. He was somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties, thin and nervous, with an old-school crew cut and an immaculately pressed uniform. Eve smiled in satisfaction as she quickly assessed her "enemy": His uniform didn't look quite "cop" enough. Not regular law enforcement, more likely civilian reserve. In short—a grunt hired to do the tedious, relatively unimportant tasks that the full-fledged officers didn't have time to do themselves. She put on her unimpressed military officer face and pulled out her old NATO identification. She flipped it open just long enough for the reserve officer to see the large "NATO" and her picture.

"Colonel Eva Gabor, NATO Counter-Terrorism Unit. I understand you that have two of my people here. An old man with white hair and a young woman, redhead?"

The young man behind the reception desk blinked in astonishment at the terse introduction, and gawked at the impressive and intimidating piece of identification. He licked his lips nervously as he glanced from the ID to the severe expression on the face of the woman in front of him.

"Uh, yeah, we've got them!" he squawked, getting up from his chair so quickly that it rolled away behind him and bumped into a filing cabinet across the small office space. "We…we picked them up a couple of hours ago..."

"I know," she cut him off. "I'm here to take custody of them." The officer gaped, confused.

"'Scuse me?" he asked. Eve dropped her head and stared hard into his hazel eyes.

"That's ''scuse me, _ma'am'_ to you, mister!" she snapped sharply. "And I'm here to take custody of my people!" She spoke slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"They're important material witnesses in a terrorism case I've been working on for the last two years. Unfortunately, they don't like being witnesses in protective custody, so they somehow managed to escape the agents assigned to watch them. So if you would please bring them out now, I'll sign any paperwork you need and we'll be on our way and I can get them back into protective custody before some extremist can fulfill any of the ten dozen fatwas that have been placed on their heads." The officer swallowed hard and his expression became even more nervous.

"F-fatwas?" the reserved officer repeated, confused. Eve sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Yes, fatwas," she said acidly, her tone conveying disbelief that she had to explain something so simple. "You know— legal opinions or decrees handed down by a mufti? These two have managed to piss off a lot of muftis around the Muslim world. A _lot_ of muftis. Including one who just so happens to be the spiritual leader of a fundamentalist extremist group and has sworn to see their heads on sticks, no matter how many others they have to kill to get to them!"

"OH! _Muftis_!" the reservist said, laughing nervously, trying desperately to cover up the fact that he had no idea what a fatwa or a mufti was. "I thought you said, um. 'sushi'! My bad! Fatwas, yeah, I gotcha now—yeah, bad stuff, those fatwas!" Eve leaned back and nodded in understanding.

"Fine. Now, if you would _please_ go get my witnesses…?"

"Um, I…I don't think I can do that..._ma'am_," he said, his words stumbling slightly from his lips, his eyes bugging wide at risking making this NATO colonel mad again. "I don't have the authority…"

"Then get me someone who does!" Eve barked, carefully modulating her tone to indicate that she wasn't used to having her orders questioned. The reserve cop jumped a little bit and blinked in surprise.

"That…that would be Sheriff McGill!" he said quickly, eager to please the imposing woman. "But...but he's not here right now, he's on a Code 7!"

A what?!" she snapped, edging her tone closer to anger.

"C-Code 7, ma'am!" the reservist yelped. "He's…he's on a meal break! He won't be back in an hour, hour and half; the Blue Plate Inn is serving fried chicken tonight, see, with all the fixings, and Sheriff McGill just _loves_ their fried chicken...!" Eve pulled herself upright and gave him her coldest glare.

"I. Don't. Have. An. _Hour_!" she answered, biting off each word in a low, clearly threatening tone. She stepped forward, placed both hands on the desk and leaned forward into the reservist's personal space.

"You get me those people, mister, and you get them for me _right now!" _she growled, her icy blue eyes burning onto his. "This is a matter of _national security_, and if I have to go Patriot Act on your downy ass, I will!" She leaned forward a bit more, twisted her lips into a confident sneer.

"Or do you _want_ to be the one responsible for allowing a terrorist attack on the United States? Because if you don't release my people to me this minute, that's what's going to happen—" She made a show of peering at his name badge. "Officer Jason Brown. And then you'll not only have NATO to deal with, but you'll also have Homeland Security, the FBI, the CIA and very likely Interpol and Scotland Yard as well—_all_ of them passing you around for interrogation like a pack of cheap smokes in the yard at Sing-Sing!" Officer Brown's eyes widened, perspiration starting to dampen his forehead. Eve stood up and continued to glare at him.

"So, what's it going to be?" she asked, her tone pure contempt. When he continued to hesitate, she slowly pulled out her phone. "All right, then. A call to the Director of Homeland Security it is."

"No, _wait_!" the panicked man said, nearly shouting as he held out his hands. Eve paused and looked at him inquiringly.

"I-I guess I can transfer custody if…if it's to an agency higher up on the chain of command!" he hurried on. "If it's...it's a matter of national security and all!" Eve smiled and, to his immense relief, slid her phone back into her pocket.

"You'll…you'll have to sign some transfer forms, though…" he continued in a slightly calmer voice.

"Of course, Officer," she said amiably. "Whatever you need." As Officer Brown scrambled to find the correct paperwork, Eve rested on one elbow against the reception desk.

"By the way, what were the charges they were arrested on?" she asked, her tone of voice indicating only mild curiosity now.

"Lewd conduct in a public place," he said, glad to be on the NATO colonel's good side now. Eve literally bit her tongue to keep herself from bursting into laughter.

"I see," she said tersely. "And how did _that_ happen?"

"One of the deputies caught 'em in the act up at Snyder's Bluff," he went on, snorting in nervous amusement. "He goes up there every night to chase the teenagers off. Snyder's Bluff is kinda the local make-out spot, see."

Eve turned her head and pressed her lips together, struggling to stifle her laughter. Cassandra and Jenkins had gone to New York City to celebrate their second wedding anniversary. While they were in the area, they decided to visit an antique dealer friend they somehow knew in Grandview, just to the northwest of New York, a woman named Melinda Gordon. There happened to be a winter festival of some sort going on in Grandview, so Cassandra had called Eve earlier in the day and told her that she and Jenkins were going to stay in Grandview overnight so that they could attend the festival. On their friend's recommendation, Jenkins was going to drive them up to this Snyder's Bluff after dinner to take in the view of the town, decorated and lit up especially for the festival, and spend some "quiet time" together as a couple, as Cassandra had called it. Hours later the Librarian had called Eve again, this time frantic, and told her that they had been arrested. Cassandra hadn't gone into any details, only begged Eve to come to Driscoll County Jail and bail them out.

Now the Guardian could just picture the scene: Jenkins driving Cassandra up to the bluff to take in the picturesque view of the little village of Grandview below, snow-covered and lit up for the winter festival. How the two lovebirds would cuddle with each other in their rental car, inevitably share a romantic kiss, one thing leading to another and then another and then another—until the local deputy rapped on the car window with his flashlight, thinking he'd caught himself a couple of horny teens only to discover a couple of horny adults, instead.

"If you'll just sign these, ma'am?" Officer Brown, said, interrupting her thoughts. He slid a clipboard full of papers with large red X's marked to indicate where her signature went. She scrawled "Col. Eva Gabor" onto the forms quickly, not even bothering to read them. Since she wasn't using her real name anyway, it didn't really matter what they said. When she was finished she handed the clipboard back.

"Thank you, Colonel Gabor!" Brown said. "If you'll just wait here, please, I'll go and bring out your prisoners."

"_Witnesses_, officer!" Baird corrected him. "They just _think_ they're prisoners." Brown flashed a small, anxious smile before turning and hurrying out of the reception area.

"Yes, ma'am!" Brown turned and scurried through the door.

About thirty minutes later, Officer Brown reappeared with an Assistant Jailer, the two "escapees" with them. The moment Eve saw them, she had to look away to keep from laughing. Slightly disheveled and both unexpectedly wearing a full set of shackles: Handcuffs secured to a thick leather belt around their waists that held their hands completely immobile, their ankles linked together by a short chain that allowed only small, shuffling steps, Jenkins and Cassandra appeared through the door, each of them clumsily clutching a large manila envelope containing their returned personal possessions. As soon as they saw Baird, Cassandra dropped her head, grinning like the proverbial cat that had eaten the canary, while Jenkins, trying to look stoic, only managed to look absolutely mortified.

"Here you go, Colonel," announced Brown, opening the reception office door to allow the "prisoners" out into the foyer. "Um, it just occurred to me: We never got the chance to fully process them into the jail facility itself; they were just in a holding cell when you got here, so we haven't strip-searched them yet. You want us to do that now for you before you take them? You know, make sure they aren't hiding a weapon anywhere?"

"Hmmmm," the Guardian hummed thoughtfully, as if considering his offer. Cassandra's head snapped up, her eyes popping open as big as dinner plates at the idea, while the glare Jenkins gave Baird could've stripped paint off a wall. Eve smiled sweetly at the Caretaker as she answered the reservist.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary, Officer. I won't need one of your men to escort them out to the van, either. I think they'll behave themselves after all of this?" She gave the two miscreants a knowing look.

"We'll be good!" squeaked Cassandra instantly, furiously nodding her head. Eve turned sideways and extended her arm toward the door.

"Mr. Jenkins, Mrs. Cillian-Jenkins—if you'll follow me, please?" Baird strode quickly for the building's entrance and held the door open while the tall man and his petite wife hobbled hurriedly through it like a pair of mismatched penguins. As soon as they were all outside and out of sight of the security cameras, Eve turned around and pulled out her keyring, then selected the handcuff skeleton key she kept there for just such an occasion. She quickly unlocked the cuffs and shackles and tossed them into some nearby bushes.

"Okay you two, let's see if you can keep it in your pants long enough to get back the Annex!" she said sarcastically and nodded toward a service entrance nearby. "The Back Door's over there!"

"We were doing nothing wrong, Colonel, I can assure you!" Jenkins huffed in irritation as he straightened his clothes. "Cassandra and I were merely... We were just..." His large hands flapped as he tried to formulate a perfectly proper reason for the two of them to be alone in the backseat of a car in an isolated area late at night.

"_Stargazing_!" he finally blurted. The Guardian gaped him a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"'Stargazing'!?" she hooted. "Is that what you're going to go with? Oh, I can't _wait_ to see how the guys react to _that_ one, especially Ezekiel and Jake!" She started for the door and Jenkins reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned to face him.

"Colonel Baird," he began urgently, dropping his gaze in obvious embarrassment. "I—and Cassandra—both of us...we...we would be very grateful if you could please keep this little—_indiscretion_—just between the three of us…?" Eve smiled and reached out to pat the old immortal's hand.

"Don't worry, Skip; your 'stargazing' activities are totally safe with me," she assured him. She almost giggled at the look of sheer relief that came to her friend's face.

"_Thank you_, Eve!" he said fervently as he laid his hand over his heart and gave her a tiny bow. "I am in your debt!" He stood upright and headed for the magic portal back to the Annex, his mood much improved. Cassandra started to follow him, but Eve grabbed her arm just long enough to whisper into the redhead's ear.

"You're gonna tell me all about this later, right?" Cassandra grinned and nodded.

"You bet!" she whispered back, then, giggling, hurried after her husband. Eve fell in behind her and followed the two through the door.

She could hardly wait to hear _this_ story!


End file.
